JAW STABILISATION EXERCISES

These are exercises to help control TMJ (jaw joint) hypermobility, tooth grinding and jaw clenching. They are unlikely to cure the
problem, but they will greatly assist any treatment being received, will help prevent the condition from deteriorating, and may provide
temporary reduction in the symptoms associated with the TMJ misalignment. They are based on exercises recommended by a
Dentist specislising in TMJ problems (Sean OGeary BDS). If you have any questions, please contact Andrew Cook.
Please note that these exercises DO NOT replace treatment, and application of them without supervision is at your own risk. If you
find that they decrease your symptoms, this is a good indication that your TMJ is misaligned, and professional experience indicates
that this is better addressed sooner rather than later. This may be a local problem, or more related to teeth, facial bones, spine,
shoulders, or even pelvic alignment, and you would be greatly assisted by seeking treatment from a Craniosacral Therapist or
Cranial Osteopath (or Cranial Orthodontist - see http://www.craniogroup.com/ ).

EXERCISE 1 : Stabilisation exercise 1

EXERCISE 3 : Isokinetic exercise

TIME : 2 minutes maximum, repeat 3 times daily or

more

TIME : 2 minutes maximum, repeat 3 times daily or

more

a.

Open your mouth, until you feel the cheek

muscles begin to stretch. This is no more than
about fully open. (OPTION : Do this in front of a
mirror, and attempt to make the opening and
closing movement into a straight line, maintaining
the vertical alignment between the central gap
between teeth on top and bottom jaws)
b.

Hold this position for 20 seconds

c.

Close mouth until lips touch (OPTION : Do this

in front of a mirror, and attempt to make the closing
movement into a straight line)
d.

Repeat FIVE times

EXERCISE 2 : Stabilisation exercise 2

TIME : 1 minute, repeat 3 times daily or more
a. Sit in a chair in front of a table. Rest BOTH of your
your elbows on the table in front of you, and cup your
hands, placing the chin in your cupped hands. The chin
should be resting on the heels of your hands, and the
palms and fingers resting gently at the sides of your face.

a.
Rest your elbow of one arm on the table in
front of you. Make a fist, and rest your chin
between the first and second fingers of the fist (not
the knuckles!) Brace your forearm against your
chest so that it is stable, an dthe chin is evenly
weighted against the two fingers.

b.

Tense the muscles of your chin so that you

are pushing down gently onto your fist with your
chin. Keep these muscles tensed throughout the
exercise, to resist opening your mouth.
c.
Touch the back of your throat with the tip of
your tongue
d.
Now open and close your mouth slowly,
keeping a gentle pressure between your fist and
your chin - do this 20 tomes, or until the muscles
are tired (whichever is sooner)
Hint : You are actually keeping your chin still, and
moving your head in order to open your mouth.
Compare this with the way you normally eat and talkdont do anything about it, just allow yourself to observe
what you do!

b. Let your weight sink down onto your hands, stay

there for 30 seconds

Other hints for TMJ syndrome

c.

If symptoms change when you lie down (e.g. either noticably

better or worse after sleep) then one possible cause is TMJ
misalignment. Pressure headaches may also be caused by
autonomic nervous system inbalance, or compression of the
base of the skull - both of which have a myriad of different
possible causes, and both of which can be addressed using
CST techniques.

Now sit up straight in the chair, and place your

hands on either side of your face. There is a bony ridge
at the base of your fingers -place this gentlyagainst
your cheek so they are resting on the hollow of the line of
your teeth. Your fingers will be pointing upwards and
resting on your temples, and the heels of your hands will
be gently resting on the lower edge of your jaw.
d. Without pushing, allow a feeling of your hands
sinking into your face. Lock your elbows against your
chest
e. Now, without pulling, IMAGINE your hands are
floating down towards the floor, taking your jaw with
them. Do this for about 30 seconds

http://www.hummingbird-one.co.uk/pdf/tmj.pdf
Andrew Cook MSc RCST 01603 665173

Craniosacral Therapy &

Orthodontic Braces
Jaw Joint Problems
Jaw joint disorders have many names, the most popular being TMJD or temporomandibular joint
disorder/dysfunction or CMD (craniomandibular disorder). Depending on the severity, symptoms may
include all or just some of the following : joint clicking and popping, headache, pain in the joint, limited
opening, and locking of the joint open or closed. The problems often seem to start with the muscles of the
jaw, face and neck and then deteriorate to some damage of the jaw joint itself. This damage appears to be
due to instability of the small mobile cartilage disk that, uniquely in the body, allows the jaw to both hinge
and slide at the same time.
The symptoms may appear gradually and be very intermittent or may appear very suddenly for no obvious
reason. They tend to worsen with time, so early treatment is best.

Image Courtesy of TMJ Implants, Inc www.tmj.com

Full-blown CMD can result in a vast range of symptoms including back and pelvic pain, depression,
palpitations, mood swings, tinnitus and neurological symptoms anywhere in the body. The cause of CMD is
invariably some kind of trauma, usually physical, and from a huge range of possible events, including
whiplash, a blow or punch to the jaw/head, an uneven bite (new filling or denture?), certain kinds of
orthodontic treatment, or even a difficult birth. There are also a surprising number of cases of ascending
TMD where a longstanding pelvic misalignment eventually causes displacement of the jaw.
What makes these difficult to classify in any conventional medical perspective is that many people suffer
from one or all of the above traumas and do not develop CMD. It would therefore appear that the most
significant factor is how we respond to these causative events. This phenomenon is called Adaptive
Range or adaptive capacity. Emotional stress, poor diet, illness, multiple injuries elsewhere in the body and
ageing (i.e. an accumulation of all the above) tend to reduce the capacity of the body to adapt to new
traumas.
The term CMD is used because there is a strong connection to the alignment of structures in the whole
head. It has been found that patients with (e.g.) ears or eyes not on the same level, or unusually shaped
heads are more susceptible to jaw joint problems. The same applies to spinal imbalances (a history or back
pain or neck pain) because the spine and jaw joints may compensate for each other, in either direction.
The treatment for CMD is as variable as, and dependent on the possible causes. The patient may only need
a few visits to a craniosacral therapist, or they may require an orthodontic splint worn between the teeth for
several months, or they may need corrective dentistry to change tooth height. In very a few very extreme
cases, when all other possible methods have failed, surgery is required to reposition the joint disc.
However, surgery should always be a last resort
Jaw Joint Problems adapted from Nutshell News Issue #1 by Noel Stimson LDS (http://www.craniogroup.com)

For more information or appointments, please contact

Andrew Cook MSc RCST
Complementary Health Care Clinic
34 Exchange Street, Norwich NR2 1AX
01603 665173 or cst02@hummingbird-one.co.uk

Orthodontic braces
are used to straighten teeth, and are usually applied during teenage years. Their use is usually
associated with up to four tooth extractions if the mouth is overcrowded.
Braces help to provide straight and cosmetically attractive teeth, can
correct major problems in dental alignment and are thought to have no
other medical side effects.
When treating patients using cranial techniques, sometimes all of the
tension patterns in the body can be traced back to (and cured by
releasing) a locked upper jaw (Maxilla) and its associated structures.
Because this is always associated with either a history of dental braces or some severe impact or
surgery to the face, I have reached the conclusion that that braces can occasionally cause trouble
in other parts of the body, either when they are in use, or later in life. Alternatively, the fact that
braces were necessary in the first place could well indicate that these conditions were already
present. Whichever is the case, CST can often help to unlock these structures so that a more
normal movement is restored. Once able to move, the body is then capable of repairing itself.

Anatomy of the face

The face comprises a set of thick strong bones (the jaw and cheek bones) set in a frame which is more like
a very thin flexible cardboard box. Many bones of the front of the face are as thin as sheet of paper, and
are very flexible. The bones of the face are almost all in symmetrical pairs, which are divided by a suture
(discontinuity) down the midline. The one exception to this is the Vomer a bone which connects the
midline of the roof of the mouth to the base of the skull just below the pituitary gland. The major part of
the face (the upper jaw or Maxilla and the region of the nose, comprising the nasals, turbinates and
ethmoid bones) is a very light hollow structure. All these bones of the face hang off the front of the far
more solid cranial bowl (the part of the skull which protects the brain).
How this is affected by braces?
The whole body is designed to be capable of motion. Even the bones of the skull move, and the bones of
the face are no exception to this. It could be that braces simply exacerbate an already present problem,
or the very fact that braces are needed in the first place might indicate that there is something which needs
attention. However, whatever the cause, if the facial bones are locked solid, this has an effect on the neck,
the shoulder girdle and even the alignment of the pelvis. This is particularly the case if the face is held in
an asymmetric position.

How this affects the rest of the head and body

The exact side effects observed often depend on other factors elsewhere in the body such as minor injuries,
birth complications, stress, and so on. However, I have noticed the following acute symptoms during or
after a course of orthodontic braces which responded quickly (i.e. reduced or completely vanished) to CST
release of an opposing torsion in the Maxilla :

Headaches, poor concentration, dizziness, a heavy face and neck, rigid feeling round the nose, or
jaw clenching

Unusual stiffness anywhere in the body, particularly neck, pelvis and shoulders, pelvic pain, growing
pains

Onset or accentuation of scoliosis, back or neck pain, shortening of one leg, sciatica

General malaise or loss of energy similar to ME symptoms are rare and relatively extreme side effects.

It should be emphasised that most orthodontic work is just slightly uncomfortable but otherwise innocuous.

Longer term effects

Very occasionally, the motion of the face does not return when the braces have been removed. In this
case, there can be a range of symptoms which appear gradually, including headaches, menstrual difficulties,
pelvic misalignment, scoliosis, miscellaneous spinal problems and shortening of one leg. These can occur
even if there were no obvious acute problems when the braces were being worn.
Typically, both acute and long-term symptoms are kept at bay by regular exercise. I would guess that some
jammed Maxillae resume normal motion sometime after the braces are removed, but on the basis of
treatment results I have witnessed, this is clearly not always the case.

What Craniosacral Therapy (CST) can do

It is relatively easy for CST techniques to re-introduce motion to the face and
skull, even if braces are still being worn. If any of the above acute or longterm symptoms have been caused by locking of the maxilla (regardless of the
original cause), then CST can produce quite substantial results, often in just
one or two treatments. If the area of immobility has extended beyond the
maxilla into the vomer, palatines and beyond, then more extensive work is
sometimes needed.

If you have braces fitted and have any of the above symptoms, or have other
symptoms anywhere in the body which started at the same time as the brace
being fitted or tightened, then a small number of CST sessions will usually
help to relieve this.

If you have an adult or teenage onset scoliosis or migraines which started to

appear within a few years of a course of orthodontics, then again, this often
clears quite quickly with a few sessions of CST.

If you have any pelvic or leg pain which is worse for lack of exercise (and
disappears if you exercise regularly), it is likely that the cause of this is a
misaligned jaw, probably caused by a misaligned or immobile maxilla (face).

If you are receiving orthodontic treatment, a CST session now and again
often makes the face feel much more comfortable, and appears to assist the
adaptation of the maxilla and teeth to the dental treatment. The American
Dental Association has found craniosacral therapy to be an effective adjunct
to orthodontic work

It is usually best to book a single one-hour appointment this gives an

opportunity for a hands-on diagnosis and about 20 or 30 minutes
treatment, which in turn gives a much clearer idea as to how appropriate
CST is for any particular condition.